New HA Board Member
Pandemic unites medics and IT experts in saving lives
IT investment specialist Duncan Chiu joined the Hospital Authority (HA) Board last December just before the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. He describes the experience of joining HA as being like that of a learner driver finding himself at the wheel of a racing car. “I was like a novice driver who was just starting off in first gear, and then all of a sudden, I was told to race in Formula One.” Despite the shock of the outbreak, Duncan believes the pandemic may accelerate the collaboration between frontline healthcare workers and IT colleagues, gearing up hospitals to operate effectively under the ‘new normal’.
While both software and hardware infrastructure are in place, Duncan argues that HA needs to encourage staff to embrace changes and better integrate technology into medical care, in a way to open up a new horizon for healthcare services. “The emergence of COVID-19 has inevitably changed the mode of operation in hospitals. For instance, the introduction of tele-consultation and tele-care services allows frontline healthcare staff to experience first-hand how IT can support them at work in offering better care to patients,” he says. “This is in fact a perfect opportunity to let IT colleagues know that they can help save lives by developing different systems. I would also like to encourage our IT professionals to be more proactive, and shine on the stage by making an even greater contribution, rather than just limiting themselves to solving computer problems and technical issues.”
Duncan is also the Chairman of a workgroup examining the transformation of public hospitals into smart hospitals. After a number of meetings, the group has put forward a series of recommendations aimed at streamlining workflows and helping clinicians in the diagnosing process with leverages on technology. The new measures will be implemented in one or two hospitals on pilot basis and extended to more hospitals if they are proved effective.
Meanwhile, as the effort to battle the pandemic continues, Duncan – a keen squash player – encourages colleagues to take care of their health and exercise regularly. “How can you save lives if you are in bad shape?” he asks. “So, stay strong and healthy and take good care of yourselves, my dear colleagues.”
While both software and hardware infrastructure are in place, Duncan argues that HA needs to encourage staff to embrace changes and better integrate technology into medical care, in a way to open up a new horizon for healthcare services. “The emergence of COVID-19 has inevitably changed the mode of operation in hospitals. For instance, the introduction of tele-consultation and tele-care services allows frontline healthcare staff to experience first-hand how IT can support them at work in offering better care to patients,” he says. “This is in fact a perfect opportunity to let IT colleagues know that they can help save lives by developing different systems. I would also like to encourage our IT professionals to be more proactive, and shine on the stage by making an even greater contribution, rather than just limiting themselves to solving computer problems and technical issues.”
Duncan is also the Chairman of a workgroup examining the transformation of public hospitals into smart hospitals. After a number of meetings, the group has put forward a series of recommendations aimed at streamlining workflows and helping clinicians in the diagnosing process with leverages on technology. The new measures will be implemented in one or two hospitals on pilot basis and extended to more hospitals if they are proved effective.
Meanwhile, as the effort to battle the pandemic continues, Duncan – a keen squash player – encourages colleagues to take care of their health and exercise regularly. “How can you save lives if you are in bad shape?” he asks. “So, stay strong and healthy and take good care of yourselves, my dear colleagues.”
